Lochgilphead

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Rothesay
Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Loch Gilb
Lochgilphead
Rothesay shown within Scotland
Population	3,000
OS grid reference	NR8688
Council area	Argyll and Bute
Lieutenancy area	Argyll and Bute
Constituent country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LOCHGILPHEAD
Postcode district	PA30 - 31
Dialling code	01546
Police	Strathclyde
Fire	Strathclyde
Ambulance	Scottish
European Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Argyll and Bute
Scottish Parliament	Argyll and Bute
List of places: UK • Scotland

Coordinates: 56°02′N 5°26′W / 56.04, -5.44

Lochgilphead (Scottish Gaelic Ceann Loch Gilb, pronounced [kʲan̴̪ ɫ̪ɔx ˈg̊ilib̥]) is a burgh in Scotland, with a population of around 3,000 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute. The town lies at the end of Loch Gilp (itself a branch of Loch Fyne) and lies on the banks of the Crinan Canal.

The council is based at Kilmory Castle, around which is located a woodland park and an Iron Age fort. The Forestry Commission also have an office there.

Lochgilphead's facilities include a swimming pool, sports centre, three banks, supermarket, Renault dealership, a community hospital run by the local GPs, psychiatric hospital, 9-hole golf course, a hydrotherapy pool, a regional landfill site at Dunchologan and Lochgilphead High School.

The town is home to shinty team Kilmory Camanachd and football team, Lochgilphead Red Star.

[edit] History

As a planned settlement, Lochgilphead was created in 1790 shortly after the completion of a road from Inveraray to Campbeltown. After the completion of the Crinan Canal in 1801 the town became more important as a link across the Kintyre peninsula.

[edit] Claims to fame

In July 1982, Lochgilphead competed against teams from Perth and Oban in the then highly popular BBC Television children's series It's a Knockout, presented by Stuart Hall. The town's team won their round and later competed in the international version of the series, 'Jeux Sans Frontieres', which was recorded in Switzerland.
In the World War Two movie, 633 Squadron (1964, directed Walter Grauman), Lochgilphead's main street features for a brief second in an aerial shot, as the bombers of 633 Squadron fly over the "unnamed" town en route to the bombing target in Norway.
Hometown to the intellectual Lochgilpheadian Tom Roberts who left at an early age to pursue a career in Philosophy, a dream that was recently fulfilled upon qualifying as a Doctor of Philosophy at Edinburgh University. In a recent interview Roberts claimed it was fair to attribute at least 25% of his current success to the formative years he spent in Lochgilphead.
The Argyll Turbo GT sportscar was built by Bob Henderson in Manse Brae.
The singer Sydney MacEwan had built, and was for a time parish priest of, the R.C. church in the town.
The well known and infamous George Williamson was born and raised here. His aliases include The Glee and for a short while Rondo.